WootBot

You've got a monkey on your back, and that monkey's name is "outdoorsmanship" and it's just now hitting you that you can't put a change of clothes in your monkey. So switch to a backpack! Anyway, your monkey will be happier at home.

mbren28568

I'm just curious - where does woot get their idea of "retail price" from? I tend to shop Amazon, woot's mama, for comparison purposes - and while there's no denying that these packs are a great deal, I don't see them listed for ANYWHERE near the suggested "$200 retail"....

In fact, after a few minutes of searching, the absolute HIGHEST price I could find was $134 or therabouts....

bsmith1

mbren28568 wrote:I'm just curious - where does woot get their idea of "retail price" from? I tend to shop Amazon...

Yeah...Amazon doesn't usually sell things at MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price), so you're not going to be able to find "retail" price comparisons there.
I think these are all discontinued models, so I couldn't find the manufacturer's price, but here is another 65 Frame model that has a non-sale price of $280. http://www.highsierra.com/High-Sierra-Titan-Frame-Pack/dp/B00AAK3BOC Woot sets the retail price according to what the manufacturer tells them it should be worth. The manufacturers think their products are way cool, so they always overprice 'em.
This is how EVERY retailer sets their retail vs sale prices. Have you not noticed that the MSRP is always high everywhere you look?

ObsessiveCompulsive

mbren28568 wrote:I'm just curious - where does woot get their idea of "retail price" from? I tend to shop Amazon, woot's mama, for comparison purposes - and while there's no denying that these packs are a great deal, I don't see them listed for ANYWHERE near the suggested "$200 retail"....

In fact, after a few minutes of searching, the absolute HIGHEST price I could find was $134 or therabouts....

We get this information from the manufacturer or distributor, a required field they must complete in order to set the item up in our system. We do not refer to the price as "Retail" we refer to it as List Price. List is the suggestion from the manufacturer of what the market should bring for the product AKA MSRP (Manufacture Suggested Retail Price).

Regardless of what we list, you (as an intelligent shopper) are going to do your due diligence and make sure the deal is a good one, as you have done with these products. Kind of like a new car, you probably don't pay "Sticker" or MSRP when you buy one.

qex

Has anybody used a pack like this? How does it compare to a typical hiking backpack?

I would basically be living out of this backpack, traveling long-term.

My friend bought this one the last time it was listed and the build quality is very good. I'm not sure what you mean "Compare with a typical hiking backpack"...this is a typical backpack. External frame packs are cooler, ride higher (which helps you stand up straighter and puts more of the weight on your hips/legs) vs internal frame packs. You can also strap stuff to the outside of the pack to the frame, so it can carry a lot. There is plenty of cushion on the straps/belt, so I think it'll be pretty comfortable for most people if it is adjusted correctly to fit you.

As for the height issue, I'm 6'5" and it would work for me (I have a pretty long torso).

egonitron

qex wrote:My friend bought this one the last time it was listed and the build quality is very good. I'm not sure what you mean "Compare with a typical hiking backpack"...this is a typical backpack. External frame packs are cooler, ride higher (which helps you stand up straighter and puts more of the weight on your hips/legs) vs internal frame packs. You can also strap stuff to the outside of the pack to the frame, so it can carry a lot. There is plenty of cushion on the straps/belt, so I think it'll be pretty comfortable for most people if it is adjusted correctly to fit you.

As for the height issue, I'm 6'5" and it would work for me (I have a pretty long torso).

It should do just fine for you.

Thanks for the verification it'll work with my height, that's a big issue I run into and why I'm weary buying online for stuff like this.

I should have clarified, I meant that I almost exclusively see internal frame backpacks, and as a result have been looking mostly at those. What's the drawback of an external frame then?

xtnpd

egonitron wrote:Thanks for the verification it'll work with my height, that's a big issue I run into and why I'm weary buying online for stuff like this.

I should have clarified, I meant that I almost exclusively see internal frame backpacks, and as a result have been looking mostly at those. What's the drawback of an external frame then?

Personal taste? I have both internal and external frame packs. I prefer the external frame packs; my wife likes the internal frame. drawback might be the hard frame bumping into stuff when you aren't wearing it - they tend to have a different "footprint" than the internal frame packs. I like they way they pack and feel on my back; they tend to carry the weight a smidge higher, and that makes all the difference to me.

qex

xtnpd wrote:Personal taste? I have both internal and external frame packs. I prefer the external frame packs; my wife likes the internal frame. drawback might be the hard frame bumping into stuff when you aren't wearing it - they tend to have a different "footprint" than the internal frame packs. I like they way they pack and feel on my back; they tend to carry the weight a smidge higher, and that makes all the difference to me.

Agreed, external frames are a bit wider and taller, so your arm movement is more limited and you have a better chance of getting caught if you are hiking through brush or low hanging trees. I prefer them as well.

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